Coordination of Encryption Systems in the Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea continues to see active regional cooperation in the harmonization of Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs), with a focus on improving ENC adequacy, coverage, and standardization to enhance maritime safety and environmental protection.
In 2007, the Baltic Sea Hydrographic Commission (BSHC) established an ENC Harmonisation Working Group (BSEHWG) to address the inconsistencies between Baltic Sea ENCs. The BSEHWG's work plan and time schedule were approved at the 12th BSHC Conference in Klaipeda in 2007.
One of the notable initiatives taken by the BSEHWG was the FIN-SWE Pilot project, established in 2012 between Finland and Sweden for improving the harmonisation of depth information and presentation of both ENCs and paper charts. The project identified numerous inconsistencies, including mismatches in Navigational Purposes, density of soundings, SCAMIN settings, representation of depressions, mismatch of depth contours, generalization of depth contours, non-equivalent depth contours, and rounding of soundings.
The BSHC's findings called for different actions, which have now been grouped into three blocks: an update of the chart data, planned actions, and the development of new guidelines. The deliverables of the third block, "Guidelines", include finalized guidelines regarding sounding density and generalization of depth contours, and a plan for the implementation of these guidelines in the chart products.
In addition to the BSEHWG's efforts, the International Hydrographic Organization’s (IHO) 2025 Work Programme highlights hydrographic services and standards improvements as a key regionally coordinated task. The FIN-SWE Pilot for harmonising depth presentation is a known initiative aimed at standardizing depth scale representation between Finnish and Swedish ENC producers to provide consistent, seamless depth data for navigators in shared waters.
The IHO's ENC Production Guidelines will be amended to allow and promote this kind of regional approach. The Baltic Sea INT Chart Coordinating Working Group (BSICCWG) has also established a Correspondence Group to study recommendations in more detail, including the use of CATZOC, MAGVAR, SCAMIN, depth presentation, and eliminating gaps and overlaps.
A joint chart updating process is being developed within the pilot project, with testing planned to start in August 2014. The Åland Sea has been chosen as the test area. The BSHC also encourages all BSHC countries to make further studies of the use of objects in the Baltic Sea ENCs and report their findings at the following BSHC meetings.
The BSHC's 17 recommendations aimed at helping ENC producers to avoid the most obvious inconsistencies are a significant step towards achieving seamless ENC coverage and standardized depth presentation across the Baltic Sea. However, detailed recent progress or specific future timelines for completing the FIN-SWE Pilot have not been explicitly published. Continuous regional cooperation remains essential to achieve these goals.
For more precise updates on the FIN-SWE Pilot, consulting specialized hydrographic authorities such as national hydrographic offices of Finland and Sweden or the IHO regional coordinators would be appropriate. The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC), which will meet in August 2025 in Mariehamn, Åland Islands, concentrates on regional cooperation topics but no explicit mention of ENC harmonization or the FIN-SWE Pilot appeared in the preparatory documents available.
- To enhance safety of navigation in the Baltic Sea, the International Hydrographic Organization is revising its ENC Production Guidelines to promote regional approaches, such as the FIN-SWE Pilot which aims to standardize depth scale representation between Finnish and Swedish ENC producers.
- Scientific advancements in marine spatial data, aided by projects like the FIN-SWE Pilot, are paving the way for improving health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, and medical-conditions research by providing consistent, seamless depth data in shared waters.
- The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, focused on regional cooperation, may consider incorporating discussions on Electronic Navigational Charts' harmonization and projects such as the FIN-SWE Pilot in their future meeting agendas to further support maritime safety and environmental protection efforts.
